Female bust Franz Hagenauer ca. 1940

This bust of a lady with cape belongs to the group of those exotic figurines manufactured by Werkstatte Hagenauer from the mid-1930s. The sculpture is made in a combination of carved walnut wood and cast metal. The intricate craftsmanship is skillfully demonstrated by the finely carved hand.
The woman’s withdrawn facial expression and her particular hand movement leave the viewer room for interpretation. Her almond-shaped eyes, however, and her hairstyle as well as the cape-like clothing possibly are hinting to the origin of the lady. Presumably, the figure represents an indigenous inhabitant of North America. The bust is marked at the bottom with Franz Hagenauers artist monogram “HF”, “wHw” in a circle and twice “HAGENAUER/ WIEN”.